Swimming Pool Robot and Method for Controlling Swimming Pool Robot

This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/946,861, filed on Nov. 13, 2024, which is a continuation-in-part application of the International patent application No. PCT/CN2024/087590, filed on Apr. 12, 2024, which claims priority to the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/091116, filed on Apr. 27, 2023, in the title of “MOVING DEVICES USED IN LIQUID AND POOL CLEANING ROBOTS”; the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2024/076040, filed on Feb. 5, 2024, in the title of “CLEANING APPARATUS”; the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2024/076025, filed on Feb. 5, 2024, in the title of “CLEANING APPARATUS”; the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2024/076033, filed on Feb. 5, 2024, in the title of “MOVING DEVICES USED IN LIQUID AND CLEANING APPARATUS”; the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2024/076021, filed on Feb. 5, 2024, in the title of “CLEANING DEVICE AND CLEANING DEVICE SYSTEM”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311159683.0, filed on Sep. 8, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; and the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311540590.2, filed on Nov. 17, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The International patent application No. PCT/CN2024/076040 claims priority to the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/091116, filed on Apr. 27, 2023, in the title of “MOVING DEVICE USED IN LIQUID AND POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202320232759.7, filed on Feb. 16, 2023, in the title of “TRANSMISSION APPARATUS AND POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311159683.0, filed on Sep. 8, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311540590.2, filed on Nov. 17, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; and the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410070430.4, filed on Jan. 17, 2024, in the title of “POOL ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND STORAGE MEDIUM”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The present application No. PCT/CN2024/076025 claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311159683.0, filed on Sep. 8, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311540590.2, filed on Nov. 17, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; and the Chinese Patent Application No. 202320298525.2, filed on Feb. 23, 2023, in the title of “POOL CLEANING ROBOT”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The present application No. PCT/CN2024/076033 claims priority to the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/091116, filed on Apr. 27, 2023, in the title of “MOVING DEVICE USED IN LIQUID AND POOL CLEANING ROBOT”, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present application PCT/CN2024/076021 claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202320121909.7, filed on Feb. 6, 2023, in the title of “POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/091116, filed on Apr. 27, 2023, in the title of “MOVING DEVICE USED IN LIQUID AND POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202320298525.2, filed on Feb. 23, 2023, in the title of “POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202320232759.7, filed on Feb. 16, 2023, in the title of “TRANSMISSION APPARATUS AND POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/091115, filed on Apr. 27, 2023, in the title of “AUTOMATIC UNDERWATER SPREADING APPARATUS”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202323471851.8, filed on Dec. 19, 2023, in the title of “POOL CLEANING ROBOT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311159683.0, filed on Sep. 8, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202311540590.2, filed on Nov. 17, 2023, in the title of “FILTER ASSEMBLY AND UNDERWATER CLEANING EQUIPMENT”; the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410070430.4, filed on Jan. 17, 2024, in the title of “POOL ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND STORAGE MEDIUM”; the and Chinese Patent Application No. 202410077690.4, filed on Jan. 18, 2024, in the title of “SOLOR SYSTEM”, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The present disclosure relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to a moving apparatus, a cleaning device, a cleaning device control method.

The cleaning and maintenance of a liquid environment (e.g., a pool and a swimming pool) are important to maintaining clean water and pool sanitary. Cleaning devices on the market may be divided into three types. The first type of cleaning devices only cleans a bottom of the liquid environment. The second type of cleaning devices cleans not only the bottom of the liquid environment but also a vertical wall surface of the liquid environment that has to be located below a liquid surface. The third type of cleaning devices keeps floating above the liquid surface and only cleans the liquid surface of the liquid environment. The three types of cleaning devices have different features. However, all three types of cleaning devices fail to realize an effective position regulating in the liquid environment and regulate the depth based on an actual need to clean the bottom, the wall surface, and the liquid surface of the liquid environment in an all-round way, thereby limiting the application scope and the work efficiency of the cleaning devices.

Therefore, to improve the application scope and the work efficiency of cleaning in the liquid environment and to reduce cleaning costs, a moving apparatus used in liquid and a cleaning device that are able to flexibly switch positions above or below the liquid surface are desired.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a moving apparatus, a cleaning device, and a cleaning device control method to clean a liquid environment in an all-round way.

In a first aspect, to address the aforementioned technical problem, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a swimming pool robot. The swimming pool robot includes a liquid intake portion, including at least a first intake and a second intake. The first intake is located at a bottom of the swimming pool robot, the first intake is configured for liquid to enter the swimming pool robot for the swimming pool robot to clean a bottom and/or a side wall of a swimming pool, the second intake is located at a side of the swimming pool robot, and the second intake is configured for liquid to enter the swimming pool robot for the swimming pool robot to clean a liquid surface. During a process of switching the swimming pool robot from a first motion state to a third motion state, the swimming pool robot is first switched from the first motion state to a second motion state and subsequently switched from the second motion state to the third motion state. No matter whether when the swimming pool robot is in the first motion state or when the swimming pool robot is in the third motion state, the first intake faces the bottom of the swimming pool, and/or a posture of the swimming pool robot in the first motion state is substantially identical to the posture of the swimming pool robot in the third motion state. The first motion state is defined as a state where the swimming pool robot moves on the bottom of the swimming pool or cleans the bottom of the swimming pool, the second motion state is defined as a state where the swimming pool robot moves on the side wall of the swimming pool or cleans the side wall of the swimming pool, and the third motion state is defined as a state where the swimming pool robot moves on the liquid surface, floats on the liquid surface, stops near a water line, or cleans the liquid surface.

In a second aspect, to address the aforementioned technical problem, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a swimming pool robot. The swimming pool robot includes a liquid intake portion, a liquid outlet portion, a filter assembly at least partially disposed inside the swimming pool robot and configured to filter liquid, and a drive mechanism including a main pump. The liquid intake portion, the filter assembly, the drive mechanism, and the liquid outlet portion are in fluid communication in sequence to form a flowing path for the swimming pool robot to perform cleaning. A process of switching the swimming pool robot from moving on a bottom of a swimming pool to a liquid surface includes at least the following: the swimming pool robot rotates as a whole in a first direction, enabling the swimming pool robot to be switched from a bottom operation posture to a wall climbing posture; the swimming pool robot moves on a side wall of the swimming pool in the wall climbing posture until the swimming pool robot is near a water line or at least partially exposed above the liquid surface; and the swimming pool robot subsequently rotates as a whole in a second direction, enabling the swimming pool robot to be switched from the wall climbing posture to a surface operation posture. The bottom operation posture of the swimming pool robot is substantially identical to the surface operation posture of the swimming pool robot, and the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

In a third aspect, to address the aforementioned technical problem, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for controlling a swimming pool robot. The swimming pool robot includes a mode switching member. The mode switching member includes: a buoyancy cavity configured to accommodate at least gas; a pump at least configured for external gas to enter the buoyancy cavity, to increase a volume of the gas in the buoyancy cavity; and a first injection port communicating with the buoyancy cavity to at least allow the external gas to enter the buoyancy cavity. The method includes at least the following: controlling the swimming pool robot to be switched from a bottom operation posture to a wall climbing posture; controlling the swimming pool robot to move on a side wall of a swimming pool in the wall climbing posture until the first injection port is near a liquid surface or at least partially exposed above the liquid surface; and controlling the pump to operate, where the external gas enters the buoyancy cavity through the first injection port under an action of the pump, to increase the volume of the gas in the buoyancy cavity, enabling the swimming pool robot to rotate from the wall climbing posture to a surface operation posture. The bottom operation posture of the swimming pool robot is substantially identical to the surface operation posture of the swimming pool robot.

The following illustrates, in a detailed and comprehensive way, the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are merely some, but not all, embodiments of the present disclosure. Any other embodiment that is obtained, without a creative work, by an ordinary skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure falls within the scope of the present disclosure.

To be noted that, terms described in the embodiments of the present disclosure, such as “first”, “second”, and etc., are for descriptive purposes only and may not be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined by the “first” or “second” may, either explicitly or implicitly, indicate that at least one such feature is provided.

Reference to an “embodiment” herein implies that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in such embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The “embodiment” appeared anywhere in the specification may neither necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor refer to a separate or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood by any ordinary skilled in the art, both explicitly and implicitly, that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

So far, the cleaning device currently on the market fails to effectively regulate positions in a liquid environment. In other words, cleaning device may not regulate the depth, based on an actual need, to clean the liquid environment (e.g., a bottom, a wall surface, a liquid surface, and etc.) in an all-round way, thereby limiting the application scope and the work efficiency of the cleaning device. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a moving apparatus used in liquid. The moving apparatus used in liquid is able to flexibly switch positions above or below the liquid surface, thereby enabling the cleaning device that includes the moving apparatus to clean the liquid environment in the all-round way, improving the application scope and the cleaning efficiency in the liquid environment, and reducing costs of cleaning the liquid environment. In some embodiments, the cleaning device may be a pool robot, a swimming pool robot, an underwater cleaning device, and etc., which is not limited herein.

is a simplified schematic view of a moving apparatus used in liquid according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.is a first side elevational view of a moving apparatus used in liquid according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. A moving apparatusused in liquid is configured to move within a target regionthat contains liquid and switch positions above or below a liquid surface. The target regionmay be a region in which the moving apparatusmoves and liquid is contained. For example, the target regionmay be a pool, a swimming pool, an oil well, or a sewer, and etc., which is not limited herein. To be noted that, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusused in liquid is further configured to, in addition to moving within the target regionthat contains liquid, move on a bottomof the target regionor a side wallof the target region.

The moving apparatusused in liquid includes a mode switching member. The mode switching memberis configured to enable the moving apparatusto perform a position-and-posture switching between a second motion state and a third motion state. To be noted that, as illustrated inor, a second side elevational view of the moving apparatus used in liquid is provided. A first motion state is defined by a state where the moving apparatusmoves on the bottomor a state where an angle between the bottomand an overall directionof the moving apparatusis less than 90° and the moving apparatusis far from the liquid surface. The moving apparatusbeing far from the liquid surfacemay be referred to as the moving apparatusperforming a bottom cleaning or performing an action underwater, and etc. As illustrated in, or, a third side elevational view of the moving apparatus used in liquid is provided. The second motion state is defined by a state where the moving apparatusmoves on the side wallor a state where an overall directionof the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the side wall. As illustrated in, a fourth side elevational view of the moving apparatus used in liquid is provided, ororor. The third motion state is defined by a state where the moving apparatusmoves on or above the liquid surface, or a state where the moving apparatusis at least partially exposed above the liquid surface, or a state where the moving apparatusis entirely located below the liquid surfaceand close to the liquid surface. The moving apparatusbeing close to the liquid surfacemay be referred to as a distance between the moving apparatusand the liquid surfacebeing less than a threshold value and the moving apparatusbeing able to perform a liquid surface cleaning task, and etc. The overall directionof the moving apparatusmentioned above is defined by a direction of a plane where a moving mechanism of the moving apparatusis in contact with a to-be-cleaned surface, for example, the moving mechanism is a track or a wheel. That is, as illustrated in, the overall directionof the moving apparatusis defined by the plane that is shared by a bottom of the track or the wheel on both sides of the moving mechanism of the cleaning deviceor the moving apparatus. Optionally, in a case that the moving apparatusincludes a first wheel, a second wheel, and a track that wraps around an outside of both the first wheel and the second wheel, the overall directionof the moving apparatusmay also be defined by an extended direction along a line connecting a rotation center of the first wheel and a rotation center of the second wheel. The first motion state may include a process of cleaning the bottomor a process of processing the liquid in the pool, and etc. The second motion state may include a process of cleaning the side wallor a process of cleaning a liquid line, and etc. The third motion state may include a process of moving on or above the liquid surfaceor a process of cleaning the liquid surface. The process of cleaning the liquid surfacemay be referred to as a process where garbage floating on the liquid surfaceenters an interior of the moving apparatusor the cleaning devicethrough an intake port of the moving apparatusor the cleaning device.

In this way, the mode switching memberis configured to enable the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface, which further enables the cleaning devicethat includes the moving apparatusto flexibly perform the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface. Specifically, the mode switching memberenables the moving apparatusto move to be on/above the liquid surfacethrough performing the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface, thereby enabling the cleaning devicethat includes the moving apparatusto be switched to the third motion state and to perform the liquid surface cleaning of the liquid environment. The mode switching memberenables the moving apparatusto be switched to the second motion state through performing the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface, which further enables the cleaning deviceto clean the pool wall or the liquid line, and etc., thereby allowing the cleaning deviceto clean the liquid environment in the all-round way, improving the application scope and the cleaning efficiency in the liquid environment, and reducing the costs of cleaning the liquid environment.

The moving apparatusmay be constructed in various ways. The following is illustrated by taking an example of performing the liquid surface cleaning. When the intake port is provided on a side surface of a forward portionof the moving apparatusor a forward portion of a cleaning device body, as illustrated in, the third motion state is referred to as a state where the moving apparatusis in a substantially horizontal direction or a state where the forward portionof the moving apparatustilts slightly upward and a rearward portionof the moving apparatustilts slightly downward (may be referred to as a first tilting state, as illustrated in). In this case, the intake port is at least partially located below the liquid surface. When the intake port is provided at a bottom of the moving apparatusor a bottom of the cleaning device body, the intake port may be identical to an intake port for performing the bottom cleaning. That is, an intake port includes the first intake port (i.e., a first intakebelow) and the second intake port (i.e., a second intakebelow). The first intake port is configured to perform the bottom cleaning and the second intake port is configured to perform the liquid surface cleaning. The third motion state is referred to as a state where the side surface of the forward portionof the moving apparatusobviously is exposed above the liquid surfaceand the second intake port is at least partially exposed above the liquid surfaceor is immediately beside the liquid surface. In this case, in order to maintain the balance of the moving apparatusor the cleaning device body, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusor a rearward portion of the cleaning device body is located below the liquid surface(may be referred to as a second tilting state) and the moving apparatusor the cleaning device body is tilted to a greater extent than being in the first tilting state. When the second intake port is provided at an intersection or transition between the forward portionand the bottom of the moving apparatusor between the forward portion of the cleaning device body and the bottom of the cleaning device body, the third motion state is referred to as a state where the intersection or transition is at least partially exposed above the liquid surfaceso that the second intake port is at least partially exposed above the liquid surfaceor is immediately beside the liquid surface. In this case, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis below the forward portionof the moving apparatus, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis entirely located underwater or the side surface of the rearward portionis at least partially exposed above the liquid surface.

A process of the moving apparatusswitching from the second motion state to the third motion state may be referred to as a process of the moving apparatusrotating around a first virtual axis substantially in a first direction. The first virtual axis is located at an interior of the forward portionof the moving apparatus. In this way, a distance that the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates is less than a distance that the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates. For example, as illustrated in, when the moving apparatusneeds to switch from the second motion state to the third motion state, the moving apparatusstarts to rotate in a way that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being substantially parallel to the side wallto being substantially parallel to the liquid surface. For example, as illustrated in, the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in a counter-clockwise direction toward the side walland the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in the counter-clockwise direction away from the side walltoward the liquid surface, until the moving apparatusswitches to the third motion state where a top portion of the moving apparatusfaces upward and the bottom of the moving apparatusfaces down. In this case, a distance that the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates is less than a distance that the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates. During a process of the moving apparatusswitching from the third motion state to the second motion state, in response to the forward portionof the moving apparatusbeing in contact with side wall, the moving apparatusrotates around a second virtual axis in a second direction. The second virtual axis is located at the interior of the forward portionof the moving apparatus. In this way, a distance that the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates is greater than a distance that the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates. For example, as illustrated in, when the moving apparatusneeds to switch from the third motion state to the second motion state, the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side walland the moving apparatusstarts to rotate in a way that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being substantially parallel to the liquid surfaceto being substantially parallel to the side wall. For example, as illustrated in, the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in a clockwise direction away from the side walland the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in the clockwise direction towards the side walland moves downward, until the moving apparatusswitches to the second motion state where the forward portionof the moving apparatusfaces upward and the rearward portionof the moving apparatusfaces down. In this case, a distance that the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates is greater than a distance that the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates. The first direction is in opposite to the second direction. One of the first direction and the second direction is the clockwise direction and the other one of the first direction and the second direction is the counter-clockwise direction.

In one embodiment, the mode switching memberis further configured to regulate a force applied on the moving apparatusalong a vertical direction. That is, when the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the mode switching memberis configured to regulate the force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction, which enables the moving apparatusto be switched from the second motion state to the third motion state. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the mode switching memberis configured to regulate the force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction, which enables the moving apparatusto be switched from the third motion state to the second motion state or to be switched from the third motion state directly to the first motion state. In other words, the mode switching memberis configured to regulate the force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction, which enables the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface.

To be noted that, as illustrated in, the vertical direction may be referred to as a vertical direction of the target region, for example, a vertical direction of the pool, i.e., a gravity direction. The horizontal direction may be referred to as a horizontal direction of the target region, for example, a horizontal direction of the pool, i.e., a direction perpendicular to the gravity direction.

In one embodiment, the force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction may include a buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction. The mode switching memberis further configured to regulate a magnitude of the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction. Since a gravity of the moving apparatusremains substantially unchanged, in response to the magnitude of the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction being regulated, the moving apparatusmay be enabled to perform the position-and-posture switching between the second motion state and the third motion state or between the first motion state and the third motion state, thereby being further enabled to be perform the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface. That is, when the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the mode switching memberregulates the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction to increase, and the moving apparatusmay thus be switched from the second motion state to the third motion state as the moving apparatuscontinues moving, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching from being below the liquid surfaceto above the liquid surface. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the mode switching memberregulates the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction to decrease, and the moving apparatusmay thus be switched from the third motion state to the second motion state or the first motion state as the moving apparatuscontinuing moving, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching from being above the liquid surfaceto below the liquid surface.

To be noted that, the mode switching memberthat defines a rigid cavity may increase or decrease the gravity of the mode switching memberthrough regulating a volume of liquid in the rigid cavity, which further increases or decreases the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction. In other words, for the moving apparatusthat includes the mode switching memberdefining the rigid cavity, although the gravity of the moving apparatusis regulated, the position-and-posture switching of the moving apparatusabove or below the liquid surfaceis essentially performed by means of the mode switching memberregulating the magnitude of buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in, a first front elevational view of the moving apparatus used in liquid is provided. The mode switching memberincludes a buoyancy cavity, a first regulating member, and at least one first injection port. The buoyancy cavityis configured to accommodate gas or liquid. The first regulating memberis configured to regulate a volume of the gas or liquid in the buoyancy cavity. The at least one first injection portis connected to the buoyancy cavityto enable or allow external gas or liquid to enter the buoyancy cavity. After the first injection portof the moving apparatusis exposed above the liquid surface, the first regulating memberis turned on to enable gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection port, as illustrated in, so that the rearward portionof the moving apparatusmoves toward the liquid surface, which enables the moving apparatusto be switched from the second motion state to the third motion state. A change in the volume of the gas or liquid in the buoyancy cavitymay lead to a change in the magnitude of the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusalong the vertical direction, which enables the moving apparatusto be switched from the second motion state to the third motion state and to perform the position-and-posture switching above or below the liquid surface. It should be noted that, as illustrated in, or as illustrated in, a position-and-posture of the moving apparatusin the third motion state is substantially identical to a position-and-posture of the moving apparatusin the first motion state. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusis in a substantially horizontal state.

That is, as illustrated inoror, when the moving apparatusmoves upward along the side wallor moves upward along a direction substantially parallel to the side wall, the moving apparatusis in the second motion state. As illustrated inor, a fifth side elevational view of the moving apparatus used in liquid is provided. As the moving apparatuscontinues climbing upward along the side wallor along a direction substantially parallel to the side wall, in response to the forward portionof the moving apparatusreaching the liquid line, the first injection portis exposed above the liquid surfaceand then the first regulating memberregulates the volume of gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection port. In this way, the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityincreases, thereby enabling the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusto be increased. Since the forward portionof the moving apparatusis at least partially exposed above the liquid surface, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusfloats upward. As illustrated inor, the moving apparatusbegins transitioning from a vertical state to a substantially horizontal state until the rearward portionof the moving apparatusat least partially is exposed above the liquid surface, as illustrated inor. In this case, the moving apparatusis in the third motion state to perform the liquid surface cleaning and the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching from the second motion state to the third motion state.

As illustrated in, the first injection portmay be provided at the forward portionof the moving apparatus. To increase the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatus, the gas injected into the buoyancy cavityneeds to enter the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection portand thus, the gas may enter the buoyancy cavityonly when the first injection portis exposed above the liquid surface. Therefore, the first injection portis provided at the forward portionof the moving apparatus, which enables the first injection portto be exposed above the liquid surfacefirst when the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, thereby allowing gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitymore promptly to realize the position-and-posture switching of the moving apparatusfrom the second motion state to the third motion state when the moving apparatusneeds to perform the position-and-posture switching.

In one embodiment, the first injection portmay be provided on the buoyancy cavityor may be provided independent of the buoyancy cavity. In another embodiment, the first injection portmay be provided on a housing of the moving apparatus, which facilitates the first injection portto be connected to an external environment (e.g., external liquid or external gas), thereby realizing an exchange of the gas and/or the liquid. In an embodiment, the first injection portis located inside the forward portionof the cleaning device. At least one connecting port is provided at a front side wall of the forward portionof the cleaning deviceand is connected between the external environment and an interior of the cleaning device. In this way, the external gas may enter into the cleaning devicethrough the at least one connecting port and then injects into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection port. The gas inside the buoyancy cavitymay also exit the cleaning devicethrough the first injection portand the at least one connecting port.

In some embodiments, as illustrated inor, the moving apparatusfurther includes the first motion state that performs an underwater cleaning task and etc. The moving apparatusmay be switched from the first motion state through the second motion state to the third motion state or may be switched from the third motion state through the second motion state to the first motion state. In other words, the moving apparatusmay perform the position-and-posture switching among the first motion state, the second motion state, and the third motion state.

That is, as illustrated in, when the moving apparatusmoves on the bottomor when the angle between the bottomand the overall direction of the moving apparatusis less than 90° and the moving apparatusmoves far from the liquid surface, the moving apparatusis in the first motion state. After the moving apparatusfinishes the bottom cleaning, as illustrated inor, the moving apparatusmoves to abut against or touch the side walland then rotates to move onto the side wall; then, as illustrated inor, the moving apparatusmoves upward along a direction substantially parallel to the side walland the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, i.e., the moving apparatusis performing the position-and-posture switching from the first motion state to the second motion state. Then, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusmoves along the side wallto the liquid lineand the first injection portis exposed above the liquid surface. As illustrated in, the first regulating memberregulates the volume of gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection port. In this way, the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityincreases, thereby enabling the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusto be increased. Since the forward portionof the moving apparatushas at least been partially exposed above the liquid surface, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusfloats upward. That is, the moving apparatusbegins transitioning from the vertical state to the substantially horizontal state until the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis at least partially exposed above the liquid surfaceor the rearward portionof the moving apparatusat least moves a certain distance in a direction toward the liquid surfacewith respect to a position which the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis located on when the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the third motion state to perform the liquid surface cleaning. That is, the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching from the second motion state to the third motion state.

After the liquid surface cleaning is finished, the moving apparatusmay move to any liquid line. In this case, the forward portionof the moving apparatussubstantially abuts against or touches the liquid lineat the side walland the rearward portionis far from the liquid lineat the side wall. Then, the first regulating memberregulates the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection port, which reduces the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusand results in the moving apparatusto move downward. At this time, a main pumpand/or the moving mechanism is in operation, the moving apparatusbegins switching from the horizontal state to the vertical state, thereby finishing the position-and-posture switching from the third motion state to the second motion state. To be noted that, during a process of the first regulating memberregulating the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection port, the gas located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portmay generally be discharged earlier than the gas located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection port. That is, a part of the moving apparatusthat is far from the first injection portfirst moves downward until the moving apparatusfinishes to be switched to the second motion state, and then a part of the moving apparatuswhich the first injection portis located on moves downward, thereby facilitating a regulation to the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavity. Subsequently, the moving apparatusmay move downward along the side wallor along a direction substantially parallel to the side walluntil the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom. Lastly, the moving apparatusmoves on the bottom, thereby finishing the position-and-posture switching from the second motion state to the first motion state. Alternatively, the moving apparatusmay start using the first regulating memberto regulate the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection portat anywhere on or above the liquid surface. The volume of gas in the buoyancy cavitydecreases so that the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusdecreases, which enables the moving apparatusto start to move downward. Until the moving apparatusmoves to a preset depth or directly moves to the bottom, the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching from the third motion state to the first motion state. Regarding the process above, it is to be ensured as much as possible that, the part of the moving apparatuswhich the first injection portis located on submerges below the liquid surfaceat the end of the process.

In one embodiment, the buoyancy cavityfurther accommodates a chemical agent. The chemical agent may also be received in an accommodating chamber for chemical agent that is connected to the buoyancy cavity. The chemical agent may be configured to generate gas in response to a first preset trigger manner. The buoyancy cavityis flexible. A volume of the buoyancy cavitymay vary in accordance with a change in the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavity. When the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the chemical agent generate gas in response to the first preset trigger manner, which increases the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavitythat is under an empty state and further increases the volume of the buoyancy cavity. In this way, the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusis increased and the moving apparatusmay be switched from the first motion state or the second motion state to the third motion state, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching from being below the liquid surfaceto above the liquid surface. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the gas in the buoyancy cavityrestores the chemical agent in response to a second preset trigger manner, which decreases the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityfilled with gas and further decreases the volume of the buoyancy cavity. In this way, the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusis decreased and the moving apparatusmay be switched from the third motion state to the first motion state or the second motion state, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching from being above the liquid surfaceto below the liquid surface.

In some embodiments, the buoyancy cavityis flexible and the volume of the buoyancy cavitymay vary in accordance with the change in the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavity. The first regulating memberis a pump (e.g., a pneumatic pump, a hydraulic pump or an electric pump, and etc.). The pump may drive gas to be injected into/discharged from the buoyancy cavity, which increases/decreases the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityand further increases/decreases the volume of the buoyancy cavity, thereby performing the regulation to the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavity. When the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the pump drives the gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection port, which increases the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavitythat is under the empty state and further increases the volume of the buoyancy cavity. In this way, the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusis increased and the moving apparatusmay be switched from the second motion state to the third motion state, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto perform the position-and-posture switching from being below the liquid surfaceto above the liquid surface. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the pump drives the gas to be discharged through the first injection port, which decreases the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityand further decreases the volume of the buoyancy cavity. In this way, the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusis decreased and the moving apparatusmay be switched from the third motion state to the second motion state or may be switched from the third motion state directly to the first motion state.

To be noted that, the gas driven by the pump may come from a gas tank provided on the moving apparatusor may be external gas. When the gas driven by the pump comes from the gas tank, the moving apparatusallows the gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection porteither on or below the liquid surface. In this way, the moving apparatusmay be directly switched from the first motion state to the third motion state, or may be switched from the first motion state through the second motion state to the third motion state. When the gas driven by the pump is the external gas, the gas may be injected through the first injection portonly when the first injection portis exposed above the liquid surface. In addition, the buoyancy cavitywhose volume varies in accordance with the change in the volume of gas therein is made of a flexible material, including but not limited to, a polyvinyl alcohol resin, a polyethylene terephthalate or a rubber, and etc.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in, the mode switching memberfurther includes a first connection duct. That is, the mode switching memberincludes the buoyancy cavity, the first regulating member, the at least one first injection port, and the first connection duct. The first connection ductis configured to transmit gas or liquid. The first connection ductmay be connected to one or more of: the buoyancy cavity, the first regulating member, and the first injection port. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusincludes at least two buoyancy cavities, the first regulating member, the first injection port, and the first connection duct. The buoyancy cavitymay be connected to the first regulating memberthrough the first connection duct. The first regulating membermay be connected to the first injection portthrough the first connection duct.

In some embodiments, the buoyancy cavityis rigid. The moving apparatusmay further include a discharging port. The first regulating memberis a pump. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the pump drives the gas in the buoyancy cavityto discharge through the first injection portand a negative pressure is generated in the buoyancy cavitydue to a decrease in pressure within the buoyancy cavity. The negative pressure drives the liquid to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the discharging port. Thus, in response to the gas being discharged and the liquid being injected, a weight of the buoyancy cavityincreases and the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusdecreases, which enables the moving apparatusto be switched from the third motion state to the second motion state or the first motion state, thereby performing the position-and-posture switching from being on or above the liquid surfaceto below the liquid surface. When the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the pump drives gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection portand further drives the liquid in the buoyancy cavityto discharge through the discharging port. Thus, in response to the gas being injected and the liquid being discharged, the weight of the buoyancy cavitydecreases and the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusincreases, which enables the moving apparatusto be switched from the second motion state to the third motion state, thereby performing the position-and-posture switching from being below the liquid surfaceto above the liquid surface.

Specifically, as illustrated in, when the moving apparatusis moving on the bottom, or the moving apparatusis moving in a state where an angle between the bottomand the overall directionof the moving apparatusis less than 90° and the moving apparatusis far from the liquid surface, the moving apparatusis in the first motion state. In this case, the top portion of the moving apparatusfaces upward, the bottom of the moving apparatusfaces downward or toward the bottom, and the moving apparatusmay perform the bottom cleaning. During a process of the moving apparatusmoving on the bottomor performing the bottom cleaning, the main pumpremains being turned on to generate a third driving force (please refer to the content below) that enables the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the bottom. After the moving apparatushas finished the underwater cleaning, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusmoves toward the side walluntil the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wall. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusrotates to move onto the side walluntil the overall directionof the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the side walland the moving apparatusswitches to the second motion state. During the process of the moving apparatusrotating to the side wall, after the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wall, in a case that the forward portionof the moving apparatussuccessfully rotates onto the side wallwithin a preset duration the main pumpdoes not need to be turned off and may remain in operation. However, in a case that the forward portionof the moving apparatusfails to rotate onto the side wallwithin the preset duration, for example, a sensor detects that a posture of the moving apparatusremains unchanged within the preset duration, the moving apparatusis considered to be stuck on the bottomor to be stuck at an intersection between the side walland the bottom, as a result of the third driving force generated by the main pumpin operation. The third driving force causes the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the bottom, which results in the forward portionof the moving apparatus failing to rotate to move upward and the moving apparatusthus remaining to be stuck. In this case, the main pumpis controlled to be turned off temporarily so that the third driving force that causes the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the bottomis cancelled, thereby ensuring the forward portionof the moving apparatusto successfully rotate upward onto the side wall. Once the moving apparatusrotates to a state where an included angle between the bottomand the overall directionof the moving apparatusis a first preset angle, the main pumpis controlled to be turned on to generate the third driving force, which ensures the moving apparatusto be able to rotate from the bottomto the side walland then to closely abut against or touch the side wall, thereby allowing the moving apparatusto switch to the second motion state. Alternatively, after the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wall, instead of detecting the posture of the moving apparatusby the sensor, the main pumpis directly controlled to be temporarily turned off, allowing the forward portionof the moving apparatusto successfully rotate upward onto the side wall. Then, once the moving apparatusrotates to a state where an included angle between the bottomand the overall directionof the moving apparatusis the first preset angle, the main pumpis controlled to be turned on again to generate the third driving force, which ensures the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the side wall, thereby allowing the moving apparatusto switch to the second motion state. As illustrated in, the moving apparatushas finished the position-and-posture switching from the first motion state to the second motion state. When the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the forward portionof the moving apparatusor the forward portionof the cleaning devicefaces upward, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusor the rearward portionof the cleaning devicefaces down, and the rearward portionof the cleaning devicemay be close to or be away from the bottomalong a height direction of the side wall. When the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, the moving apparatusmay perform the side wall cleaning. During the process of the moving apparatusmoving on the side wallor performing the side wall cleaning, the main pumpremains being turned on. After the moving apparatushas finished the side wall cleaning, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusmoves upward along the side walltoward the liquid lineuntil the forward portionof the moving apparatusis exposed above the liquid surface, thereby enabling the first injection portprovided on or at or in the forward portionof the moving apparatusto be at least partially exposed above the liquid surface. that is, the forward portionof the moving apparatusis provided with the first injection port.

When the moving apparatusis in the first motion state or the second motion state, the buoyancy cavityis almost filled with liquid, or most part of the buoyancy cavityis filled with liquid and the rest of the buoyancy cavityis filled with gas, which facilitates the cleaning deviceto be located below the liquid surface. The first injection portis provided on or at or in the forward portionof the moving apparatusor the forward portionof the cleaning device. A part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection portis provided on the forward portionof the moving apparatusor the forward portionof the cleaning device. A part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portis provided on the rearward portionof the moving apparatusor the rearward portionof the cleaning device. When the moving apparatusis moving on the side wall, the first intake port for performing the bottom cleaning continuously takes in liquid, a main pump inletof the main pumpcontinuously discharges liquid, the liquid discharged from the main pump inletapplied a third driving force on the moving apparatusto drive the moving apparatusto abut against or touch the side wall.

As illustrated in, the moving apparatusremains abutting against or touching the side wall. When the first injection portis at least partially exposed above the liquid surface, the first regulating memberis turned on. In a case that the first regulating memberis a pump, an electric motor of the pump rotates in a positive direction. The pump drives the external gas to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the first injection portand the liquid in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the discharging port, which allows the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavityto be increased. The liquid located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection portmay generally be discharged earlier than the liquid located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection port. The part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection portis filled with gas earlier than the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection port, which allows a buoyancy force applied on the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection portto be increased, so that the moving apparatusis driven by such buoyancy force to start to rotate. However, due to the third driving force generated by the main pumpin operation, during a process of the moving apparatusrotating, a point or location where the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wallchanges. In this way, the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates toward the side walland the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates away from the side walland moves upward to the liquid surface.

As illustrated in, in a case that the side wallis a vertical plane, the moving apparatusstarts to rotate so that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being substantially perpendicular to the liquid surfaceto being substantially parallel to the liquid surface; alternatively, the moving apparatusstarts to rotate so that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being substantially parallel to the side wallto being substantially parallel to the liquid surface; alternatively, the moving apparatusrotates from a state where the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wallto a substantially horizontal state. For example, as illustrated in, the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates toward the side wallin the counter-clockwise direction. The rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in the counter-clockwise direction away from the side walland moves upward toward the liquid surface. At this time, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusmoves upward until the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis at least partially exposed above the liquid surfaceor the rearward portionof the moving apparatusat least moves a certain distance in a direction toward the liquid surfacewith respect to a position which the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis located on when the moving apparatusis in the second motion state, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the third motion state. As illustrated in, the moving apparatushas finished the position-and-posture switching from the second motion state to the third motion state. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the top portion of the moving apparatusfaces upward or faces away from the bottom, and the bottom of the moving apparatusfaces downward or faces toward the bottom, and the moving apparatusis in a substantially horizontal state. As illustrated in, under an actual application scenario, due to various factors, the forward portionof the moving apparatusis slightly tilted upward and the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis slightly tilted downward. In a case that an angle between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surfaceis less than or equal to 30°, the moving apparatusis considered to be in the substantially horizontal state. As illustrated in, the position-and-posture of the moving apparatusin the first motion state is substantially identical to the position-and-posture of the moving apparatusin the third motion state, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state. After the moving apparatusfinishes switching from the second motion state to the third motion state, the moving apparatusmay stop near the liquid line without performing the liquid surface cleaning, thereby allowing a user to lift the moving apparatusout of the liquid from the liquid surfacenear the liquid line. Alternatively, the moving apparatusmay also remain still near the liquid line and wait for other instructions from the user, for example, to clean the liquid surface, or to switch to the second motion state, or to switch to the first motion state, etc.

When the moving apparatusis performing the liquid surface cleaning or moving on the liquid surface, the main pumpremains being turned on. After the liquid surface cleaning is finished, the moving apparatusmay move to any liquid line. In this case, the forward portionof the moving apparatussubstantially abuts against or touches the liquid lineat the side walland the rearward portionis far from the liquid lineat the side wall. When the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, the buoyancy cavityis almost filled with gas or most part of the buoyancy cavityis filled with gas, which facilitates the moving apparatusto remain in the third motion state. As illustrated in, the first regulating memberis configured to regulate the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavity. For example, in a case that the first regulating memberis a pump, the pump rotates in a negative direction to drive the gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection portand the liquid to be drawn into the buoyancy cavitythrough the discharging portof the buoyancy cavity. The gas located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portmay generally be discharged earlier than the gas located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection port. As the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavitydecreases, the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portis filled with liquid earlier than the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection port. In this way, a gravity of the rearward portionof the moving apparatusincreases earlier than a gravity of the forward portionof the moving apparatus. Under an action of the increased gravity of the rearward portionof the moving apparatus, the moving apparatusstarts to rotate. However, due to the third driving force generated by the main pumpin operation, during a process of the moving apparatusrotating, a point or location where the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wallchanges. In this case, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusmoves downward first until the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching to the second motion state. Then, a part of the moving apparatuswhich the first injection portis located on moves downward.

As illustrated in, in a case that the side wallis a vertical plane, the moving apparatusstarts to rotate so that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being substantially parallel to the liquid surfaceto being substantially perpendicular to the liquid surface; alternatively, the moving apparatusstarts to rotate so that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being substantially parallel to the liquid surfaceto being substantially parallel to the side wall; alternatively, the moving apparatusrotates from the substantially horizontal state to a state where the overall directionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wall. For example, as illustrated in, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates toward the side wallin the clockwise direction. The forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in the clockwise direction away from the side wall. The rearward portionmoves downward earlier than the forward portionuntil the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching to the second motion state. As illustrated in, the overall directionof the moving apparatusis substantially perpendicular to the liquid surface, or the overall directionof the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the side wall, or the overall directionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wall, i.e., the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching from the third motion state to the second motion state. As illustrated in, as the moving apparatusis moving downward, the moving apparatusmay move downward along the side wallor in a direction substantially parallel to the side walluntil the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom. During the process of the moving apparatusmoving downward, the forward portionof the moving apparatusfaces upward, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusfaces downward, and the moving apparatusmoves backward on the side wall. Subsequently, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusrotates so that the overall directionof the moving apparatusis transitioning from being perpendicular to the liquid surfaceor being substantially parallel to the side wallto being substantially parallel to the liquid surface, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state. During the process of the moving apparatusrotating, after the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom, in a case that the rearward portionof the moving apparatussuccessfully rotates downward onto the bottomwithin a preset duration, the main pumpdoes not need to be turned off and may remain in operation. However, in a case that the rearward portionof the moving apparatusfails to rotate downward onto the bottomwithin the preset duration, for example, a sensor detects that a posture of the moving apparatusremains unchanged within the preset duration, the moving apparatusis considered to be stuck on the side wallor to be stuck at an intersection between the side walland the bottom, as a result of the third driving force generated by the main pumpin operation. The third driving force causes the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the side wall, which results in the rearward portionof the moving apparatus failing to rotate downward and the moving apparatusthus remaining to be stuck. In this case, the main pumpis controlled to be turned off temporarily so that the third driving force that causes the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the side wallis cancelled, thereby ensuring the rearward portionof the moving apparatusto successfully rotate downward onto the bottom. Once the moving apparatusrotates to a state where an included angle between the side walland the overall directionof the moving apparatusis a second preset angle, the main pumpis controlled to be turned on again to generate the third driving force, which ensures the moving apparatusto rotate from the side wallto the bottomand then to closely abut against or touch the bottom, thereby allowing the moving apparatusto switch to the first motion state. Alternatively, after the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom, instead of detecting the posture of the moving apparatusby the sensor, the main pumpis directly controlled to be temporarily turned off, allowing the rearward portionof the moving apparatusto successfully rotate downward onto the bottom. Then, once the moving apparatusrotates to a state where an included angle between the side walland the overall directionof the moving apparatusis the second preset angle, the main pumpis controlled to be turned on again to generate the third driving force, which ensures the moving apparatusto closely abut against or touch the bottom, thereby allowing the moving apparatusto switch to the first motion state. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusfinishes the position-and-posture switching from the second motion state to the first motion state.

However, under the actual application scenario, the side wallmay not be a vertical plane in many cases. In a case that the side wallis a curved surface or an arc surface or an inclined surface, when the moving apparatusis moving on the side wall, an included angle α is formed between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surface. As illustrated in, in a case that the side wallis an inclined surface, an included angle α is formed between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surface. Similarly, in a case that the moving apparatusis moving on a curved surface or an arc surface, an included angle α is formed between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surface. In the aforementioned embodiments, during a process of the moving apparatusswitching from the second motion state to the third motion state, when the moving apparatusis rotating from the side wallto the liquid surface, the included angle α between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surfacedecreases gradually until the included angle α becomes substantially 0°, or the overall directionof the moving apparatusis parallel to the liquid surface, or the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state, thereby realizing the position-and-posture switching of the moving apparatusfrom the second motion state to the third motion state. However, during a process of the moving apparatusswitching from the third motion state to the second motion state, when the moving apparatusis rotating from the liquid surfaceto the side wall, the included angle α between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surfaceincreases gradually until the overall directionof the moving apparatustouches or abuts against the side wall, thereby realizing the position-and-posture switching of the moving apparatusfrom the third motion state to the second motion state. It is to be noted that, when the pump rotates in the positive direction, gas is injected into the buoyancy cavityand the liquid in the buoyancy cavityis discharged; when the pump rotates in the negative direction, the gas in the buoyancy cavityis discharged and liquid is injected into the buoyancy cavity. One of the positive direction and the negative direction is the clockwise direction and the other one of the positive direction and the negative direction is the counter-clockwise direction. In an embodiment, the moving apparatusor the cleaning devicefurther includes a detection assembly. The detection assembly is configured to detect whether the bottom, the side wall, or the intersection between the bottomand the side wallare curved surfaces or flat surfaces, so as to determine a cleaning path for the moving apparatusto clean the bottomor the side wall.

Besides, it is to be noted that, in the aforementioned embodiments, during a process of the moving apparatusrotating to switch from the second motion state to the third motion state, when a point or location where the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wallis changing, the moving apparatusmay perform a rotation action only and the moving mechanism of the moving apparatusmay be not in operation; alternatively, the moving apparatusmay move slightly upward while rotating and the moving mechanism is in operation. In this case, the moving mechanism is configured to assist the main pumpto further ensure the forward portionof the moving apparatusto remain abutting against or touching the side wall. During a process of the moving apparatusrotating to switch from the third motion state to the second motion state, when the point or location where the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the side wallis changing, the moving apparatusmay perform a rotation action only and the moving mechanism of the moving apparatusmay be not in operation; alternatively, the moving apparatusmay move slightly downward while rotating and the moving mechanism is configured to assist the main pumpto further ensure the forward portionof the moving apparatusto remain abutting against or touching the side wall. A main driving force that enables the forward portionof the moving apparatusto abut against or touch the side wallis the third driving force generated by the main pump. In one embodiment, in a case that the moving mechanism includes a track, when the moving apparatusswitches among the first motion state, the second motion state, and the third motion state, the forward portionof the moving apparatusabutting against or touching the side wallmay refer to a forward portion of the track abutting against or touching the side wall; and the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabutting against or touching the bottommay refer to a rearward portion of the track abutting against or touching the bottom.

In the aforementioned embodiments, the moving apparatusneeds to switch from the third motion state to the first motion state through the second motion state. In another embodiment, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusdirectly switches from the third motion state to the first motion state without through the second motion state. Specifically, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusis in the third motion state, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state. In this case, the buoyancy cavityis almost filled with gas or most part of the buoyancy cavityis filled with gas. The first regulating memberis configured to regulate the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavity. For example, in a case that the first regulating memberis a pump that rotates in the negative direction, the pump drives the gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection portand liquid to be injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the discharging port. In this way, the volume of gas in the buoyancy cavitydecreases and the buoyancy force applied on the buoyance cavitydecreases. As illustrated in, during a process of the gas in the buoyancy cavitybeing discharged, the gas located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portmay generally be discharged earlier than the gas located at a part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection port, and the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portmay generally be filled with liquid earlier than the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection port. In this way, the gravity of the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is far from the first injection portmay increase earlier than the gravity of the part of the buoyancy cavitythat is close to the first injection port, thus the rearward portionof the moving apparatusmoves downward earlier than the forward portionof the moving apparatuswhich the first injection portis located on. During a process of the rearward portionof the moving apparatus first moving downward, the first injection portis at least partially exposed above the liquid surface, which enables the gas in the buoyancy cavityto remain being discharged and the buoyancy force applied on the moving apparatusto be gradually decreased, thereby facilitating the buoyancy force regulation applied on the buoyancy cavitythat enables the moving apparatusto rotate from a state where the overall directionof the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the liquid surfaceto a state where the included angle α is formed between overall direction of the moving apparatusand the liquid surface, or to rotate from the substantially horizontal state to a tilting state, i.e., the forward portionof the moving apparatusis tilted upward and the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis tilted downward. As illustrated in, the rearward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in the clockwise direction toward the bottomand moves downward first, then the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates in the clockwise direction toward the bottomand moves downward, until the moving apparatuscompletely submerges below the liquid surface. Subsequently, as illustrated in, the first injection portmay continue to discharge gas underwater, which further decreases the buoyancy force applied on the buoyancy cavity, thereby causing a difference between the gravity of the forward portionof the moving apparatusand the gravity of the rearward portionof the moving apparatusto be smaller and smaller. During a process of the moving apparatusmoving downward, the moving apparatusrotates slightly to regulate the posture, which enables a difference between the forward portionof the moving apparatusand the rearward portionof the moving apparatusalong the height direction of the side wallto decrease. As illustrated in, the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates downward in the counter-clockwise direction and the rearward portionof the moving apparatusslightly rotates upward in the counter-clockwise direction. During the entire process of the moving apparatusmoving downward, the gas in the buoyancy cavityis continuously discharged through the first injection port, liquid is continuously injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the discharging port, and an included angle remains between the overall directionof the moving apparatusand the liquid surface, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the tilting state. As illustrated in, the forward portionof the moving apparatusis above the rearward portionof the moving apparatusuntil the moving mechanism located at the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom. The forward portionof the moving apparatusis driven by the gravity of the moving apparatusto rotate downward until the forward portionof the moving apparatustouches or abuts against the bottom. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state, or the overall directionof the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the liquid surface, or the overall directionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom, thereby realizing the switching of the moving apparatusfrom the third motion state directly to the first motion state. During a process of the moving apparatusswitching from the third motion state directly to the first motion state, a driving force applied on the moving apparatusis mainly generated through an action of the first regulating memberand the main pumpmay remain being turned on. In this case, the third driving force has a partial force in the vertical direction, which may further assist the moving apparatusto move downward more quickly to switch to the first motion state. Alternatively, the main pumpmay not be turned on and in this case, the moving apparatusmainly relies on the action of the first regulating memberto move downward.

As illustrated in, when the moving apparatuscompletely submerges underwater, the first injection portmay alternatively not discharge gas. In this case, during a process of the moving apparatusmoving downward underwater, the tilting state of the moving apparatusremains substantially the same until the moving mechanism located at the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom. The forward portionof the moving apparatusis driven by the gravity of the moving apparatusto rotate toward the bottom, until the forward portionof the moving apparatustouches or abuts against the bottomand the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state. In this way, the moving apparatusfinishes switching from the third motion state directly to the first motion state. However, in a case that the main pumpremains being turned on during the process of the moving apparatusmoving downward, the third driving force generated by the main pumpmay also enable the posture of the moving apparatusto be slightly regulated, but in general, the moving apparatusstill moves downward in the tilting state that the forward portionof the moving apparatusis tilted upward and the rearward portionof the moving apparatusis tilted downward. The moving apparatusmay further be switched from below to above the liquid surface. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state underwater. In a case that the moving apparatusneeds to be switched from below to above the liquid surface, as illustrated in, the first regulating memberis configured to regulate the gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection port, and then liquid is injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the discharging portof the buoyancy cavity, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto rotate. The rearward portionof the moving apparatusmoves downward earlier than the forward portionof the moving apparatus, which regulates the posture of the moving apparatusto be the tilting state. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusmoves under the tilting state until the forward portionof the moving apparatustouches or abuts against the side wall. Alternatively, in a case that the moving apparatusis in the tilting state at first underwater, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusmoves under the tilting state until the forward portionof the moving apparatustouches or abuts against the side wall. Then, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusis moving onto the side walluntil the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the side wall, i.e., the moving apparatusis in the second motion state. Afterwards, the moving apparatusis switched from the second motion state to the third motion state in the same way as the aforementioned embodiments. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusis moving along the side walltoward the liquid lineuntil the forward portionof the moving apparatusis exposed above the liquid surface, which enables the first injection portlocated at the forward portionof the moving apparatusto be at least partially exposed above the liquid surface. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusrotates from the side wallto the liquid surface, which realizes the position-and-posture switching of the moving apparatusfrom the second motion state to the third motion state. In this way, the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state, the moving apparatusfinishes switching from below to above the liquid surface. As illustrated in, after the moving apparatusis switched to the second motion state, the moving apparatusmay be switched from underwater to the bottomin the same way as the aforementioned embodiments. As illustrated in, the moving apparatusfirst moves downward until the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottom. Then, as illustrated in, the moving apparatusrotates until the moving apparatusis substantially parallel to the bottom, thereby finishing the position-and-posture switching of the moving apparatusfrom the second motion state to the first motion state underwater.

In a case that the moving apparatusis underwater, the moving apparatusmay be switched to the bottomwithout through the second motion state. As illustrated in, in a case that the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal state at first, the first regulating memberis configured to regulate the gas in the buoyancy cavityto be discharged through the first injection port, and then liquid is injected into the buoyancy cavitythrough the discharging portof the buoyancy cavity, thereby enabling the moving apparatusto rotate. The rearward portionof the moving apparatusmoves downward earlier than the forward portionof the moving apparatus, which regulates the posture of the moving apparatusto be the tilting state. Alternatively, as illustrated in, in a case that the moving apparatusis in the tilting state at first underwater, the moving apparatusmay be switched from underwater to the bottomin the same way as the aforementioned embodiments. As illustrated inand, the moving apparatusremains the tilting state while moving downward until the moving mechanism located at the rearward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottomfirst. Then, the forward portionof the moving apparatusrotates toward the bottom, until the forward portionof the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottomand the moving apparatusis in the substantially horizontal direction, thereby finishing switching the moving apparatusfrom underwater to the bottom.

In a case that the moving apparatusis moving underwater or moving on or above the liquid surface, the moving mechanism of the moving apparatusdoes not contact either the bottomor the side wall. In this case, a driving force for the moving apparatusto move underwater or to move above or on the liquid surfacemainly is generated by a second propeller(please refer to the content below) and the moving mechanism may not in operation. However, to avoid an obstacle in front or behind the moving apparatus, the moving mechanism may be in operation. In this way, when the moving apparatusencounters the obstacle, the moving mechanism is configured to help the moving apparatusbypass the obstacle. For example, when the obstacle is a step, the moving mechanism may move onto the step to enable the moving apparatusto avoid the step or climb over the step. Afterward, the moving apparatusmay continue moving underwater or moving above or on the liquid surfacedue to the driving force generated by the second propeller. Thus, in a case that the moving apparatusperforms the liquid surface cleaning, even when the moving mechanism is floating underwater or floating on or above the liquid surface, the moving mechanism may still operate to perform an obstacle avoidance. In a case that the moving apparatusabuts against or touches the bottomor the side wall, even when the moving apparatusis performing the liquid surface cleaning or is moving, the driving force is still provided by the moving mechanism to allow the moving apparatusto move forward or backward. For example, in a case that the depth of liquid in the pool is small and the moving apparatusis performing the liquid surface cleaning, the moving mechanism may remain abutting against or touching a bottom of the pool. In this case, the driving force for the moving apparatusto perform the liquid surface cleaning comes primarily from the moving mechanism, rather than the second propeller.

In a case that the mode switching memberincludes the buoyancy cavity, the first regulating member, and the at least one first injection port, the main pumpremains being turned on when the moving apparatusperforms the bottom cleaning, the side wall cleaning, and the liquid surface cleaning. During a process of the moving apparatusrotating to switch between the second motion state and the third motion state, the main pumpremains being turned on to enable the forward portionof the moving apparatusto abut against or touch the side wall, thereby facilitating the rearward portionof the moving apparatusto rotate upward or rotate downward. During a process of the moving apparatusrotating to switch between the first motion state and the second motion state, the main pumpmay be temporarily turned off or may be not turned off. During a process of the moving apparatusswitching from the third motion state directly to the first motion state, the main pumpmay either remain being turned on or be turned off. After the moving apparatusfinishes performing the cleaning task, the moving apparatusmay return to any liquid line and the main pumpis controlled to be turned off before the moving apparatusis turned off or turned to a standby mode. The main pumpis turned off before the process of the moving apparatusgetting out of the liquid.